21 Apr 2015 04:41:45
Read an article about mourinho explaining that Hazard is among the three best player in the world .
As much as like him and was really gutted to see him sign for chelsea, I don't think he comes even close to top 3 . I know he is a great player and he is the major difference for chelsea this season for making them title holders but to be considered a player of Messi and Ronaldo's level is laughable . To consider among them a player must at least score 25+ goals and hazard has only 13 goals . Messi and Ronaldo are in different planet with too much gap between them and the third best player. I would rather have Robben, Bale, Reus, Neymar, Suarez before Hazard .
It is difficult to score 25+ goals every season hence, it is why they are considered top top players .
21 Apr 2015 08:04:25
Yeah considering him top 3 is a stretch for sure but Hazard definitely falls into that next tier of incredibly talented players that includes the likes of Robben, Suarez, Bale, etc and I would probably call him the best in the premier league.
21 Apr 2015 08:07:27
I think he comes in at top 5 at the moment for me when you look at the postion he occupies. Messi, Ronaldo, Suarez, Bale, Hazard or Neymar. Remember the days the number 9 up top used to be the most marketable player? Times change quickly!
21 Apr 2015 08:20:26
Robben and Reus are frequently injured though, and IMO Hazard is better than Bale. Suarez is probably still better but I think Neymar is on about the same level as Hazard. Maybe top 3 is a bit much, but I wouldn't call it that much of a stretch. I wouldn't want to see Hazard traded for any of the players you mentioned! :)
21 Apr 2015 08:57:56
The only thing hazard best to these player's is that he is not one dimensional player . He can run in all direction but still i think Robben , Reus , Bale , Neymar , Suarez are better than him . Hazard usually goes missing in big matches (not all though ) and still is not as clinical though . He also lacks long range shooting and does not have that good passing range a top 3 player should have
21 Apr 2015 08:57:56
Id' say he is third best.
The gap from the top 2 is quite large, then you have 5-6 players vying for that 3rd spot, Hazard would get my vote, he is consistent, injury free and is often the difference.
21 Apr 2015 09:31:56
I disagree Beast Luis Suarez is definitely a step ahead of him and the closest to Messi and Ronaldo at the moment but then Hazard, Neymar and Bale are not far behind. Another thing to note about Hazard is his injury record is impeccable he seems to play most games.
The worrying thing is if you name the top players in the world how many actually ply their trade in the PL? We had a discussion yesterday about the standard of the league and it's quite worrying that our top regarded players would be down the pecking order on the continent.
21 Apr 2015 09:44:35
I have nearly just fallen off my chair but I would have to agree with Beast. I would be tempted to say Suarez but I can't bring myself to say it!
21 Apr 2015 10:50:20
JMB - I think Suarez is quality, but he is benefiting a lot from Neymar & Messi. If you put Hazard in that Barcelona team I think he would have more of an impact than Suarez, but fine margins in it, it could go either way to be fair (plus Hazard seems a nicer guy!).
I agree about the league situation. It's quite funny how some people see the likes of Leicester or Burnley beating the top teams now and again as a sign of how strong our league is, but you can easily look at it the other way and say that the gap is so small in terms of quality and the median level is sub-par.
Would Madrid or Barcelona struggle to beat a Championship level side in a cup semi-final? Would the Readings, Sheffield Utd's, Bradfords etc of Spain and Germany beat the top teams domestically as often?
We have been well below average with a lot of average players this season, yet have amassed a half decent points tally. The league is going backwards the more mercenaries it attracts.
It is definitely the most enjoyable to watch for me but not for the quality unfortunately.
21 Apr 2015 12:51:49
Let's not forget Bale's last season in the PL didn't he score 20+ goals with most of them being spectacular and that was a couple of years ago Hazard has still not reached that level and arguably in a better setup. Hazard's ability to take the ball past a player and make it look easy is his best attribute but there's a lot more to being one of the very best than that.
Hazard is best in the PL but top 3 best in the world? it'd have to be Bale, Suarez ahead of him as they've proved to be something extrodinary in the PL. He's on par with Neymar, Robben and Rues.
21 Apr 2015 12:57:29
The only thing I will say about Hazard and Suarez is do you think Hazard could have carried Liverpool last year the way Luis did? I don't think he could.
Agree completely about the league and it is something which must be addressed sooner rather than later. Some folk say it comes in cycles which is fine but the PL accumulates more cash than any league in Europe and has done for the best part of a decade which should result in the most competitive league with the most competitive players.
If for instance you took the bottom three teams from Spain, Italy and England and pit them against each other I believe the English teams who accumulate much more revenue would be taught a lesson by our European counterparts.
21 Apr 2015 12:57:38
Also JMB the standard of the league hasn't dropped, maybe you mean the standard of the top teams in the PL have dropped? As for the league itself we're seeing a lot more competitive teams playing good football from the bottom to the top, unlike in other leagues especially La Liga there's a big drop in quality of the top teams and the bottom. Our league is much more competitive and exciting to watch. Also the best players in the world have often gone to Spain with either Madrid or Barca, it's been like that for years not just lately? Establishing themselves here and moving to Spain has been the pattern for the past 20 years!